Potty-Mouth FAQ v.1.03
last revised: October 23, 1997
Please send comments to the author:
Grady Ward 3449 Martha Ct. Arcata, CA 95521
(707) 826-7712 grady@promisecreepers.org
"As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet
deserves the highest protection from governmental intrusion. True it is that
many find some of the speech on the Internet to be offensive, and amid the din
of cyberspace many hear discordant voices that they regard as indecent. The
absence of governmental regulation of Internet content has unquestionably
produced a kind of chaos, but as one of plaintiffs' experts put it with such
resonance at the hearing: 'What achieved success was the very chaos that the
Internet is.' The strength of the Internet is that chaos.'
Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our liberty
depends upon the chaos and cacophony of the unfettered speech the First
Amendment protects."
(Sloviter, Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit;
Buckwalter and Dalzell, Judges, United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Pennsylvania on June 11, 1996 in ACLU v Reno Affirmed on June 26,
1997 by a 7-2 vote of the Supreme Court in Reno v. ACLU, 117 S.Ct. 2329 (1997)
No. 96-511 U.S. June 26, 1997 "The interest in encouraging freedom of
expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven
benefit of censorship.")
"One man's vulgarity is another man's lyric." Justice Harlan in Cohen v.
California, 403 U.S. 15, 91 S.Ct. 1780, 29 L.Ed.2d 284 (1971)
1. I occasionally read the Usenet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology. Why does
Grady Ward often engage in indecent writings sometimes described as both
humorous and disgusting?
The short answer is that it provokes members of the criminal cult of
scientology into acts which confirm the habitual criminality of many followers
of that belief system.
2. But isn't this puerile? Doesn't Grady Ward think there are more
professional and mature ways of criticizing scientology and its attorneys?
It seems to work. Some have speculated that totalitarian organizations in
general fear unrepressed speech since it may cause their own members to
question their rigid tenets; it may be that totalitarian organizations which
teach that they can be "at cause" over all dissent fear language which proves
them wrong in a dramatic way; or perhaps it is just that people and
organizations who are secretly ashamed of their own unethical and criminal
activities overreact when confronted with accusations so close to the mark.(1)
It also has been reported that within the elite echelons of the criminal cult
of scientology much use us made of shouting foul language in the face of a
subordinate as a means of enforcing discipline. An outsider using foul
language may be invoking the scientologist's submissive reflex in a way an
outsider to scientology is not usually allowed.
Grady Ward has himself found that while foul language is often spoken by
scientologists, it virtually never reduced to *writing* by them. This may be
related to their treating the written fantasies of L. Ron Hubbard as "sacred."
Thus Grady speculates that scientologists in particular are especially
vulnerable to offensive language in a relatively fixed medium such as writing
on the Internet.
There are many way of approaching criticism of scientology over the Internet.
Grady Ward chooses this way because it firmly asserts his free speech rights,
it is generally different from others' methods, and it is lawful and peaceful.
3. Aren't Grady Ward's postings pornographic or obscene?
No. While to many people they are patently offensive, they are not intended to
titillate, arouse nor appeal to a prurient interest. Grady also argues that
these writings have serious literary and satirical merit since they are a
specific and deliberate tactic in the semiotic war resulting from the criminal
cult of scientology's attack of the Internet beginning January and February of
1995.(2)
4. Aren't they libelous?
No. They do not represent to be statements of fact. Grady Ward believes that
most adults reading them recognize their satiric nature, despite their
offensiveness and use of actual person's names.(4)
5. Aren't they homophobic and sexist?
No. The themes and their repetition are suggested by the specific tactics
needed in this particular semiotic war. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board
of Religious Technology Center, Inc. and self-appointed "Captain" of the
criminal cult of scientology had an outburst in deposition on May 21, 1997
that proves he is sensitive to concepts such as a fear of being "publicly
buggered." A similar outburst by Warren McShane, President of Religious
Technology Center, Inc. occurred on May 22, 1997 in deposition when the
"scripture" by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard that "there is no Christ"
was authenticated by him.
Since being gay and lesbian in consenting relationships enhance the variety of
human experience, both should be welcomed into the mainstream of social life,
similarly with the increasing freedom of women from the tradition social
domination of men, people have more social choices -- enriching us all.
6. But aren't some of Grady's posts threatening? Will he actually engage in
any of the sexual or violent behavior that he describes in his graphic
postings? Are they "fighting words" likely to evoke an immediate breach of the
peace?
No. Grady is non-violent. He lives in a rural area of Northern California far
away from most of his satirical targets. He is a stable family man happily
married 14 years with two young children. He is engaged in this semiotic war
because of the attack of the criminal cult of scientology on free speech on
the Internet.
7. Doesn't the disrespect Grady Ward shows to, for example, scientology
lawyers simply exacerbate unlawful activity such as the unfair posting of
secret copyrighted scientology materials to alt.religion.scientology?
Individuals choose their own path. Grady Ward does not encourage unlawful acts
by anyone. However he does not think net citizens will stand by as the
criminal cult of scientology exploits the legal system itself to deny justice
to what it perceives as its enemies.
In particular, Grady Ward has often offered to apologize to Helena K. Kobrin,
scientology lawyer, for his graphic satires involving her if she publicly
apologizes for her attempted squelching of critical discussion of scientology
through her RMGROUP command.
8. Does Grady Ward expose children to his postings?
No. Grady posts are intended for adults accessing alt.religion.scientology. He
does not use vulgarity at home or toward children at any time.
9. Where are examples of Grady Ward's indecent postings lampooning the
criminal cult of scientology and its army of attorneys?
Read alt.religion.scientology.
10. Don't Grady Ward's postings invade the privacy of the named characters?
No. All of the characters of Grady Ward's satires have previously thrust
themselves in the eye of public scrutiny -- generally through unlawful acts
targeting critics of the criminal cult.
11. Is Grady Ward an 'apostate' of scientology? Does this explain his anger?
Grady Ward is not religious, has never belonged to an organization labeled a
cult, or been associated with L. Ron Hubbard or the criminal cult of
scientology in any way. Grady Ward first got involved with the war scientology
declared on the internet on January 11, 1995 when Helena K. Kobrin, a
scientologist attorney for Religious Technology Center, Inc. (the litigation
arm of the criminal cult) attempted to forcibly remove the
alt.religion.scientology discussion group using a RMGROUP computer command and
then orchestrated an armed raid on Dennis Erlich of Glendale, California to
prevent him from peacefully quoting religious doctrine in the context of his
ministry.
12. Is the cult going to shut Grady Ward up?
No. They have sued Grady Ward in case number Northern District of California
96-20207 for copyright infringement and trade secret violations. The cult was
forced to drop the trade secret allegations in early 1997. Further, Hon.
Ronald M. Whyte has summarily ruled against the cult in their motion for
summary judgment in the summer of 1997. Grady Ward has denied all allegations
of wrongdoing.
Despite this litigation and unlawful harassment including the cult admitting
their connection with stealing photographs of Grady Ward's children from their
grandmother and their connection with lying to officers of Humboldt Bank in
Arcata, California in order to obtain account balances and information on
Grady Ward's wife's bank account, he still speaks out freely against the
cult's criminal activities. His freedom of speech is his life.
13. Don't these rants show religious bigotry? Doesn't scientology have the
right to believe in what it chooses?
Of course the criminal cult of scientology can believe in whatever it wants.
While to many people the idea that a person is infested with thousand of souls
of murdered space aliens that must be expensively removed through "auditing"
is extremely silly, it is of course scientology's right to think that if they
want.(2)
What Grady Ward protests is the *criminal acts* of the cult of scientology in
theft, fraud, and perjury. And perhaps murder of Lisa McPherson and others.
14. Won't untrammeled language such as Grady's destroy the Internet and ruin
it for everyone?
Not too likely. For example, Juvenal (a.d.ca.60-ca.130) in his works The
Sixteen Satires circa. Rome 115 A.D. a.d. frequently employed the same
technique. In Satire II, for example,
"...cum tot abortivis fecundum Iulia vulvem solveret et patruo similes
effundet offas."
("His niece, a fertile creature, had her row of abortions, And every embryo
lump was the living spit of Uncle.") (Peter Green, Penguin 1974 ed., p51)
or in a more modern translation, suggested by a reader of
alt.religion.scientology:
"...with all the abortions poured from Julia's fertile cunt, and the offals
looked just like her uncle."
That was almost 2,000 years ago. Moral discourse and vital social interaction
seem stronger than ever.
14a. Oh come now! Is Grady Ward suggesting that his rants on a par with the
classics?
Not at all. Grady's writings are intentionally repetitious in theme and
expression. That repetition is dictated by the nature of propaganda in a
semiotic war on the Internet. A fundamental principle of using language in war
is to use simple, vivid, concepts over and over again. Semiotic warfare has
shorter-term goals than grand literature. So ask again in 2,000 years. :-)
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do succeed."
(Curly Howard)
"Silence is the virtue of fools." (Francis Bacon)
comments to: grady@promisecreepers.org
###
(1) One reader of alt.religion.scientology wrote about scientology in
particular:
"Because of the absolute prohibition on internal criticism in scientology,
their PR operatives and members apparently vent their feelings by criticizing
others for deeds and actions they feel their own leaders and members are
guilty of*.
This leads to what appears to outsiders as flagrant hypocrisy. Scientology's
top leadership including founder L. Ron Hubbard and current strongman David
Miscavige, as well as the entirety of the elite religious paramilitary group
the Sea Org, are infamous for generous and unnecessary profanity."
*In HCOB 15 September 1981, The Criminal Mind, LRH says, "THE CRIMINAL ACCUSES
OTHERS OF THINGS WHICH HE HIMSELF IS DOING."
(2) Material is pornographic or obscene if "the average person, applying
contemporary community standards, would find that the work taken as a whole
appeals to the prurient interest and if it depicts in a patently offensive way
sexual conduct and if the work taken as a whole lacks serious literary,
artistic, political or scientific value." Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15,
24-25, 93 S.Ct. 2607, 2615, 37 L.Ed.2d 419
(3) See the Supreme Court decision in Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46
(1988). The court unanimously rejected Falwell's contentions of libel,
invasion of privacy or intentional infliction of emotional distress for a
parody that Hustler had published satirically suggesting that Jerry Falwell
was introduced to sexual intercourse by his drunken mother in an outhouse.
(4) Judge Leonie Brinkema (E.D. Va.) Order on October 8, 1996 in RTC v. Lerma
Civil Action No 95-1107-A:
"The dispute in this case surrounds Lerma's acquisition and publication on
the Internet of texts that the Church of Scientology considers sacred and
protects heavily from unauthorized disclosure. Founded by L. Ron Hubbard, the
Scientology religion attempts to explain the origin of negative spiritual
forces in the world and advances techniques for improving one's own spiritual
well-being. Scientologists believe that most human problems can be traced to
lingering spirits of an extraterrestrial people massacres by their ruler,
Xenu, over 75 million years ago. These spirits attach themselves by "clusters"
to individuals in the contemporary world, causing spiritual harm and
negatively influencing the lives of their hosts."
(end of FAQ)
--
Grady Ward grady@promisecreepers.org +1 707 826 7712
http://209.66.96.19/g/r/grady/
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